Dr. A.P. Zhukov is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Advanced Polymers and Materials group, University of the Basque Country, Spain. He graduated in 1980 from the Physics-Chemistry Department of the Moscow Steel and Alloys Institute (now the National University of Science and Technology), earned his Ph.D. in 1988 from the Institute of Solid State Physics (Chernogolovka) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and completed his Doctor of Science (habilitation) at Moscow State “Lomonosov” University in 2010.
Dr. Zhukov has authored over 600 peer-reviewed publications, with a citation count exceeding 9,000 and an H-index of 51 (as of October 12, 2020). He has edited several conference proceedings and organized numerous international scientific events, including the Donostia International Conference on Nanoscaled Magnetism (DICNMA), ISMANAM 2017, and others. He has also chaired sessions at major conferences such as MMM and Intermag, and has been invited to deliver plenary and keynote lectures worldwide.
He serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Magnetics Letters and the International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems, and is a member of several editorial boards and international scientific committees.
Dr. Zhukov has edited two books: Novel Functional Magnetic Materials and High Performance Soft Magnetic Materials; authored two monographs on magnetic microwires and sensors; and contributed chapters to key scientific handbooks, including the Handbook of Magnetic Materials edited by Prof. K. Buschow.
Talk Title: Development of Advanced Magnetic Microwires with Amorphous Structure for Technological Applications
Ivan Parkin is the Sir William Ramsay Professor of chemistry at UCL and Dean of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences faculty at UCL. He has over 1,000 publications ( H= 123) and is the Clarivate worlds most cited authors list for 2023 and 24. He is a Member of the Academia Europea and has been award 11 medals and prizes from international bodies. He has graduated over 150 Ph.D. students, some 35 of which hold academic positions around the world. His work focusses on surfaces and interfaces- particularly around chemical vapour deposition. He was involved in the commercialisation of the world’s first self cleaning Glass Pilkington Activ. He has also had widespread involvement in energy materials, radiative cooling platforms, transparent conducting oxides and gas sensors. His students have established three spin out companies that employ over 200 people- including new battery material, gas sensors and CO2 capture and storage.
Talk title: Surfaces and interfaces for radiative cooling through to gas sensing
Susana Rocha obtained her PhD in Chemistry in 2014 and is Associate Professor at KU Leuven, where she leads a multidisciplinary research group working at the interface of materials science and biology. Her research focuses on developing advanced fluorescence microscopy tools and engineering 3D in vitro models to study how cells interact with synthetic biomaterials, such as nanoparticles and hydrogels. These models aim to better mimic the native tissue environment and are crucial for understanding nanoparticle behavior in complex systems. By improving the physiological relevance of preclinical testing, Rocha’s work contributes to the optimization of nanomedicines and lays the foundation for more effective, personalized therapies."
Talk title: Nanoparticles Under the Microscope: The Power of 3D Models
Cristina Balagna is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Technology at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Technology (2011) and her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (2007), both from Politecnico di Torino.
Her main research focuses on the development of antimicrobial and virucidal composite coatings for applications in filtration, high-traffic surfaces, textile and biomedical devices. She has extensive expertise in the characterization and testing of materials such as glass, ceramics, and composites, in the form of films, coatings, and bulk structures.
Prof. Balagna has participated in numerous national and European research projects in collaboration with leading international universities, research centres, and companies. She was Principal Investigator of a European transnational MANUNET project and currently coordinates the EU-funded project NANOBLOC (2023–2026), aimed at designing antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal nanocoatings.
She is the co-author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds an international patent on antiviral composite coatings, licensed to SMEs.
Professor Herman Terryn is an internationally recognized expert in surface engineering and corrosion science. He serves as Full Professor at the Department of Materials and Chemistry at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and holds part-time appointments at TU Delft and ULB.
His research was conducted in the Department Materials and Chemistry - MACH - (6 professors, 4 part-time professors, 12 Postdocs, 35 PhDs, 12 technicians), which has two research groups: FYSC (polymer science) and SURF (Electrochemical and Surface Engineering) in the Faculty of Engineering at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He was the head of the department for six years ending 2021. His research on corrosion is carried out within SURF. He’s also a part-time professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, within the research group Corrosion Technology and Electrochemistry (In 2011, he was granted the long-term Methusalem project (2011-2023, 7,5 M Euro) 'Design and Prediction of Nanostructured Metal Surfaces' (NANOMET). where he works on 5 cross-linked areas in local electrochemistry, electrochemical engineering, modelling, functional surface engineering and surface characterization, each supported by different SURF staff members, postdocs and PhDs. SURF is in the unique position of having state of the art technology for all these research tools in-house. Methusalem is the most prestigious grant awarded by the Flemish government for top researchers. Within the frame of Methusalem grant, he has been a PI of several strategic research projects (SBO) on self-healing coatings, corrosion of concrete and corrosion prediction. His research approach in predicting batteries and corrosion is recognized by IOF funding at the VUB. He was involved in a high number of EU ITN network & HorizonEU and national projects.
During the last decade, he worked within different collaborations with universities and research institutes all over the world, leading to joint papers on corrosion research. The main collaborations are with MPIE-Dusseldorf (GE), Corrosion and Protection Center Manchester (UK), Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris (FR), Université de Bourgogne Dijon (FR), TU Eindhoven (NL), TUDelft (NL), IST Lisbon (PT), University of Aveiro (PT), DUT Copenhagen (DK), KTH Stockholm (SE), NTU Trondheim (N), Hokkaido and Keio University (JP), Hanoi University (VN), CSIRO Melbourne, Daikin University (AU) and Universidade de São Paulo (BR) Corrosion projects funded by main industrial partners: OCAS - ArcelorMittal (BE), Tata Steel (NL), AkzoNobel (NL), Toyota (JP), Henkel (GE), Bekaert (BE), Hydro (GE), Aleris (BE), E-max (BE), Fokker (NL), NXP (NL), Agfa (BE), EADS, Airbus (GE), Constellium (FR), Aperam (FR), Assan Aluminium (TU) PPG (USA)
He obtained several important corrosion awards:
In total, he published 605 papers in scopus, h-factor 74 with total 18819 citations and 66 PhDs have graduated under his supervision.
Researcher unique identifier: orcid.org/0000-0003-2639-5496, Res ID: A-2255-2013, Scopus ID: 7006470634.
Talk Title: Integrated Experimental and Computational Tools for Smart Corrosion Prediction in Organic-Coated Metals
Prof. Paolo Lugli is a renowned expert in nanoelectronics, printed electronics, and molecular electronics, with over 800 scientific publications to his name. After completing his studies in physics at the University of Modena, he earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University, USA. His academic career includes research and teaching roles at the Universities of Colorado, Modena, and Rome “Tor Vergata.” In 2002, he was appointed Chair of Nanoelectronics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he taught for twelve years and served as Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, overseeing more than 3,500 students and 700 doctoral candidates. In 2017, he joined the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano as Professor and later served as Rector, bringing with him extensive leadership experience and a strong commitment to advancing key fields such as bioengineering and nanotechnology. Prof. Lugli is an IEEE Fellow and a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), actively contributing to the scientific and academic communities through international collaborations, conference leadership, and cross-disciplinary innovation.
Jérôme Cornil is a research director of the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) at the University of Mons (Belgium). His research interests mostly deal with the theoretical characterization at the atomistic level of the structural and electronic properties of organic and hybrid materials in the isolated state, in their bulk or at interfaces, typically in relation to energy applications. He has (co-)authored about 450 publications/book chapters, with about 35700 citations (h index of 85). He has supervised 25 undergraduate students and 31 PhD students. He appeared in the ranking of the top 100 most influential chemists of the decade 2000-2010 according to Thomson Reuters based on citation impact. He has been awarded the title of « Doctor Honoris Causa » from the Université de Rennes in 2023.
Talk title: Electronic properties of interfaces and molecular junctions involving ferromagnetic electrodes
Professor Riccarda Antiochia received an MSc degree in Chemistry with honors in 1992 and an MSc degree in Pharmacy with honors in 2009, both at the Sapienza University of Rome. In 1994 she received a Diploma of Imperial College from Imperial College, London, and in 1996 received a PhD in Chemical Sciences from the Sapienza University of Rome. In 2018 she was awarded the national scientific qualification as Full Professor for the scientific sector CHIM/01, Analytical Chemistry. She is a Member of the Steering Committee of CNIS, Research Center for Biotechnology, applied to Engineering of the Sapienza University of Rome from 2011, and a Member of the PNIEC-PNRR Technical Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Energetic Security (MASE) for the environmental impact assessment of projects from Integrates National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) and National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) since April 2022. She is author of more than110 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 3 book chapters and 1 mono- graph.
Her scientific activity is focused on the fields of biotechnology, nanotechnology and analytical chemistry. Her main area of research is the design and development of electrochemical (bio) sensors for clinical applications. More recently, she has been involved in the characterization of new nanostructured materials for electrode modification in second- and third-generation electro- chemical biosensors, biofuel cells and microneedle-based bio- sensor development.
Christophe Caucheteur is head of the Advanced Photonic Sensors ERC Unit at the University of Mons in Belgium. He holds a master degree in electrical engineering (2003) and PhD degree in applied sciences (2007) from the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons. He was recipient of an ERC Starting grant from 2011 to 2016. His research activities focus on the study and development of fiber Bragg grating sensors, especially plasmonic biosensors based on gold-coated tilted fiber Bragg gratings. He is regularly involved in the organization of international events, including the co-chairing of EWOFS (European Workshop on Optical fibre Sensors) in 2023 and the technical program co-chairing of BGPP (Bragg Gratings, Photosensitivity and Poling in optical materials and waveguides) in 2024. He is the co-founder of the spin-off company B-SENS (www.b-sens.be).
Lucia Gemma Delogu, Ph.D., is the head of the ImmuneNano-Lab at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padua (UNIPD Padua, Italy) www.delogulab.eu. After acquiring her experience in Immunology and Material Science at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, USA) and at Sanford-Burnham Institute (San Diego, USA), she served as Assistant Professor at the University of Sassari (Italy) and as Visiting Professor at the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD; Dresden, Germany).
Dr. Delogu has been the Scientific Coordinator of two interdisciplinary EU projects, under HORIZON2020, including a RISE project on nanomedicine and immune interactions of nanomaterials, involving more than 10 leading Institutions and high-profile international scientists on nanotechnology and nanomedicine. In this field, she has received several awards, including the “Marie S. Curie Individual Fellow” at TUD under HORIZON2020 from the European Commission, the “200 Young Best Talents of Italy 2011” from the Italian Ministry of Youth, and “Bedside to Bench & Back Award” from the National Institutes of Health, USA. Since 2020, Dr. Delogu is in charge of the Italian chapter and a member of the road map working group of the Advanced Material Global Pandemic & Future Preparedness Taskforce (AMPT) www.amptnetwork.com/. She introduced the “NanoImmunity-by-design” concept, for the design of nanomaterials based not solely on their physicochemical characteristics but also on their immunomodulatory characteristics.
She pioneered the use of systems immunology approach by high-dimensional single-cell strategies in the context of nanomaterial applications. Her research focuses on the biological interactions of nanomaterials and nanoparticles, with a particular focus on their immunomodulation properties, biomedical applications and toxicological profile.
Francesca Granucci obtained the PhD in Pharmacology and toxicology in 1996. She then performed the Post doc at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute – Boston. From 1997 to 2001 she worked as researcher at the Italian National Research in Milan and from 2001 to 2006 she worked as researcher at the University of Milano-Bicocca. In 2006 she obtained a position as Associate Professor and in 2016 as Full Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca. She has pioneered systems biology approaches to study complex dynamic processes, such as host-pathogen interactions, the process of dendritic cell maturation and the role of dendritic cells in activating and controlling NK cell functions. More recently she focused her research activity on signalling events downstream of CD14/TLR4 within cells of the mammalian innate immune system and she identified some of the key functions played by the NFATc family of transcription factors activated in dendritic cells in response to PRR agonists.
K. Jimmy Hsia is President Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He became Founding Dean of Graduate College at NTU in 2018, and started the new role as Vice President (Alumni & International Affairs) since January 2020. He received his B.S. degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, his M.S. degree from Beijing University of Aeronautics, China, and his Ph.D. from MIT. Hsia has broad research interests in interdisciplinary fields between engineering and biology. His research focuses in the area of applied mechanics including, but not limited to, material failure and fracture, soft materials and soft robotics, micro- and nanoscale mechanical behaviour of materials and micro-nano-technologies, mechanics of living cells and biological systems, biomedical device development and applications. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in top journals such as Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, Nano Letters, ACS Nano, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, etc. He has co-authored 2 books published by Springer. He has been elected Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and Fellow of American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He was recipient of US National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Initiation Award, Max-Planck Society Scholarship, and Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship. Before joining NTU, Hsia was Vice Provost for International Programs and Strategy, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and before then was W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he also served as Associate Dean of Graduate College and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research for New Initiatives. From 2005-2007, Hsia was Founding Director of Nano and Bio Mechanics Program at NSF. He is Founding co-Editor-in-Chief of an Elsevier journal, Extreme Mechanics Letters.
Giuseppe Cavallaro is Associate Professor in “Physical Chemistry” at University of Palermo, Department of Physics and Chemistry “Emilio Segrè”.
In 2014, Prof. Cavallaro obtained his PhD in Chemistry at University of Palermo. Then, he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Micromanifacturing, Lousiana Tech University, (USA) and Institut fur Chemie, Technische Universitat Berlin (Germany) within a DAAD project. In 2023, Giuseppe Cavallaro obtained the National Scientific Habilitation for Full Professorship in Physical Chemistry.
He is Editor of the book “Clay nanoparticles: properties and applications - 1st Edition” (https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-00293-5)” (Publisher: Elsevier) published in February 2020. He is Associate Editor of “Thermal Advances” (Elsevier) and member of the Editorial Board of “Applied Clay Science” (Elsevier).
He is author of 6 book chapters and more than 170 scientific articles in peer review journals that received more than 7600 citations. Based on Scopus website, his current H-index is 54. He was included in the list of “World’s Top 2% Scientist” (from 2021 to 2024) published by Stanford University.
He is inventor of 3 patents related to the use of clay based colloids (gels and dispersions) for conservation of Cultural Heritage and cosmetic applications.
His research activities focus on nanoclays and polymer/nanoparticle interactions. His studies aim to develop novel sustainable materials useful for biomedicine, cosmetics and technological applications, such as catalysis, remediation and protection of artworks.
Talk tite: Hybrid Green Materials based on Halloysite Clay Nanotubes
Olivier Soppera is Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and leads the PHOTON research group at the Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse (IS2M, France). He graduated in Chemistry at ENS Cachan and obtained his PhD from the University of Haute-Alsace in 2003, working on photopolymerization processes in hybrid. materials. After a postdoctoral fellowship in Portugal, he joined CNRS in 2004, where he progressively developed a research program at the interface of photochemistry, nanofabrication, and materials science.
Over the past two decades, his work has focused on the use of light as a versatile tool for materials design and structuring, with a strong emphasis on sol–gel chemistry, hybrid materials, and laser-assisted processing. He has pioneered photoinduced strategies for the fabrication of nanostructured films, functional coatings, and responsive surfaces with tunable optical and chemical properties.
His current projects span several research directions, including laser-assisted nanofabrication, development of hybrid organic–inorganic materials, and the integration of metallic nanoparticles to exploit plasmonic effects . These approaches open new perspectives for advanced optical sensors, environmental monitoring devices, and biomedical applications.
Olivier Soppera has coordinated and participated in numerous national and European research projects and has established long-term collaborations with both academic institutions and industrial partners. He is the author of more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and several patents. In addition to his scientific activities, he has been actively involved in fostering international collaborations, in particular with Taiwan and contributing to the scientific networks in France on Photochemistry (SP2P at SCF) and Nanosciences (C’Nano).
Talk Title: Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Meets Plasmonics: Light-Assisted Routes to Smart Sensors
Elena Cattaneo is the Director of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Department of Biosciences and co-founder and Director of UniStem, the Centre for Stem Cell Research at the University of Milan. Since 2015, her laboratory has been hosted by the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (INGM) under a formal partnership.
Her laboratory investigates the molecular pathophysiology and treatment of Huntington’s Disease (HD). Using precise cellular and animal models, they study the mechanisms driving striatal neurodegeneration. They employ embryonic stem cell technologies to generate medium-sized spiny neurons—the population most affected in HD—and develop cellular platforms to explore disease processes. Studies of fetal striatal development in vivo by single-cell RNA sequencing aim to improve differentiation of striatal neurons in vitro, which are then tested in transplantation paradigms. The laboratory also examines developmental components of HD, as well as roles of cholesterol metabolism and synaptic signaling pathways. Another line of research addresses the function and evolution of the huntingtin gene, seeking molecular targets for therapy.
Her work has been supported by the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, the Hereditary Disease Foundation, the CHDI Foundation, the European Commission (FP7, H2020), the Italian Ministry of Research (PRIN), Fondazione Telethon, and others. She coordinated three EU-funded consortia—NeuroStemCell (2008–2012), NeuroStemCell-Repair (2013–2017), and NeuroStemCell-Reconstruct (2019–2024)—and leads an Italian network on stem cell transplantation for HD. In 2018, she received an Advanced ERC Grant, and in 2024, an ERC Synergy Grant with three colleagues, scheduled to begin in November 2025. Under a CHDI program (2016–2024), her team tested whether HD shows transcriptional changes already in fetal development. Using single-cell RNA-seq of mouse and human cortex and striatum—including one rare human HD fetal sample—they generated extensive datasets, although spatial transcriptomics were beyond their reach at that time.
Elena Cattaneo has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals including Science, Nature, and The Journal of Neuroscience, with an H-index of 68. She has taught courses such as “Stem Cells in Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine,” and, since her 2013 appointment as Senator for Life, she continues to lecture, though she no longer runs formal courses. She has supervised over 30 PhD and 110 Master’s students and delivered more than 400 invited talks worldwide.
In 2006, she co-founded UniStem, dedicated to stem cell research and public outreach. The centre organizes workshops, lectures, and a large annual event for high-school students, now reaching 25,000 participants across 90 European universities.
In 2013, President Giorgio Napolitano appointed her Senator for Life in recognition of her scientific and social contributions. She remains the youngest and only the third woman in Italian history to hold this role. In the Senate, she focuses on science, innovation, freedom of research, human rights, and education.
Talk title: Brain Cholesterol Matters: A 25-Year Journey Toward Nanomedicine-Based Therapies for Huntington’s Disease
Prof. Dr. Larysa Baraban is the professor at the Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus of Dresden University of Technology. She is the head of department Nano-microsystems for life sciences and is the ERC Consolidator Grantee, keeping the main mission of her research to bridge the materials science and nanotechnology with the world of cancer research. She strongly contributes to the idea of the development of the nanoscopic biosensors and makes the links between the materials and life sciences
Prof. Carlo Massaroni received a BSc (2010) and an MSc (2012, cum laude) in Biomedical Engineering, and a PhD in Bioengineering and Bioscience (2016), all from Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM), Italy. Since 2023, he has been a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Measurements at UCBM, where he previously served as Assistant Professor (2019–2023) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2017–2019). He is Co-Founder of HEREMOS S.r.l. and has been awarded the Italian national scientific qualification as Associate Professor (2018) and Full Professor (2025) in Mechanical and Thermal Measurements.
He serves as Chair of the Wearable Sensors Technical Committee of the IEEE Italy Sensors Chapter, Secretary of the IEEE Sensors Council and the IEEE Biometrics Council Italy Chapters, and Associate Member of the IEEE EMBS Technical Committee on Wearable Biomedical Sensors and Systems. He is also member of the IEEE EMBS Technical Committee on Biomedical Imaging and Image Processing. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, received multiple best paper awards, and is listed among Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists.
His scientific activity focuses on wearable sensors, biomedical instrumentation, and unobtrusive systems for cardiorespiratory monitoring. He is particularly engaged in the design, development, and validation of innovative medical technologies, integrating engineering solutions with clinical applications in the fields of healthcare, rehabilitation, and occupational safety.
Petr Šittner is the head of the Department of Functional Materials at Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic since 2009 and the head of Division of Condensed Matter Physics since 2016. He graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University in 1995, received his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics in 1991 from Czech Academy of Sciences, worked for 5 years as Research Associate at Faculty of Engineering Mie University in Japan and, since 2000 he has been working as senior scientist at the Institute of Physics of the CAS (2012-16 as vice director).
Petr Šittner has been active in the research of martensitic transformations, shape memory alloys and smart engineering materials and composites for over 30 years, published over 250 scientific articles in impacted scientific journals, 5 patents, organized two major international conferences in the SMA field ESOMAT 2009 and SMST 2013 in Prague, served as member of the Board of directors of the SMST ASM International society and currently serves as associate editor of the journal Shape Memory and Superelasticity.
His current research in the field of martensitic transformations focuses on the investigation of deformation processes responsible activated during functional thermomechanical behavior of NiTi based shape memory alloys using thermomechanical testing supported by application of various in-situ methods such as in-situ synchrotron and neutron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, DIC and EBSD methods in SEM [1-5].
Petr Šittner has been actively involved in designing and building engineering diffractometer BEER at European spallation source currently under construction in Lund Sweden. He serves as a representative of the Czech Republic in the In Kind Review Committee of ESS.
Prof. Camillo La Mesa is a Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at Sapienza University of Rome. His research focuses on colloids, self-assembled systems, polymer–surfactant interactions, and hybrid nanomaterials. A pioneer in the field of hybrid colloids in Italy, he has published over 150 scientific papers and has contributed significantly to both academic research and industrial applications. Prof. La Mesa has coordinated European research projects, served as a consultant for leading companies, and held editorial roles in prestigious journals such as Langmuir, Soft Matter, and J. Colloid Interface Sci.. His work continues to advance the understanding and application of smart and functional materials.
Eugenio Martinelli is Full Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, where he leads the Bioinspired Electronic Engineering Group. He is also the founder and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Organ-on-Chip and Lab-on-Chip Applications (IC-LOC).
He has served as Principal Investigator of numerous national and international research projects (Italian Space Agency, Fondazione Veronesi, H2020, NIH, among others), focusing on the development of sensor systems and data analysis methods for applications in space, food science, and biomedicine. Notably, Dr. Martinelli was responsible for two space experiments conducted on the International Space Station during the ENEIDE (2005) and DAMA (2010) missions.
He has authored more than 270 publications in international journals and conferences (over 7,000 citations, h-index 44, Scopus) and is the inventor of nine patents. In recognition of his contributions, he received several awards, including the EUROSENSORS Fellowship Award (2016) for outstanding achievements in signal processing and data analysis for sensor applications.
Talk title: Sensing in Organ-on-Chip: Bioinspired Strategies
Professor Alessandro Porchetta is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata," leading the Laboratory of Sensing and Biomimetic Systems. His research specializes in DNA/RNA-based nanodevices for biosensing and molecular diagnostics, with notable work on DNA nanoswitches, CRISPR-Cas12a activators, and electrochemical platforms. His lab is currently involved as Principal Investigator in major research projects such as the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie RISE “Nano-OligoMed” as well as a university scholarship program “MIRA”.
Michele Iafisco is Director of research at the Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC) of the National Research Council (CNR). He earned a Master’s degree in Chemistry in 2005 and a PhD in Chemical Sciences in 2009, both from the University of Bologna. He brings over 20 years of experience in materials science, with a research focus on biomineralization, nanomedicine, calcium phosphates and nano-enabled agriculture. He has coordinated and participated in numerous national and international research projects, serving as principal investigator and research unit leader. Dr. Iafisco has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications, 18 book chapters, 2 books, and holds 8 patents. He is a member of the editorial boards of international journals and serves as an expert evaluator for the European Commission and other European research agencies. He was included in the list of “World’s Top 2% Scientists” (from 2021 to 2024) published by Stanford University. He is co-founder of NanoPhoria Srl, a CNR spin-off company developing pioneering inhalable cardiovascular treatments through non-viral, nano-in-micro delivery of biologics.